


Wings

by gimmie_shelter



Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series), Helluva Boss (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angels, Archangels, Arranged Marriage, Demons, Eventual Romance, F/M, Idea Adoption, Lucifer Magne Being a Jerk, M/M, Octavia is older, Romance, Story Idea Adopted From TalosLives, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-22 14:41:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30040239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gimmie_shelter/pseuds/gimmie_shelter
Summary: After centuries of endless battles and violence had proved to accomplish nothing aside from bringing bloodshed to their lands, Heaven and Hell have decided to declare an end to the hostilities with a peace treaty. However, seeing as more needed to be done to ensure those on both sides took the whole thing as a genuine effort, an agreement is made to have a member of Hell's nobility be married off to one of Heaven's as a way to bring this peace.Octavia Goetia, much to her shock, ends up being the one to represent Hell. With no choice in the matter aside from agreeing, the young Goetia now finds herself being married to a son of a Seraphim. Will she be able to put aside her feelings of discontent and possibly find love with this individual she never met before? Or will this marriage be doomed to fail much like the peace it was supposed to bring?
Relationships: Blitzo & Stolas Goetia, Blitzo/Stolas Goetia, Millie/Moxxie (Helluva Boss), Octavia Goetia & Loona, Octavia Goetia / Original Character, Octavia Goetia/ Original Angel Character, Octavia/Original Angel Character
Comments: 12
Kudos: 46





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Helluva Boss Story Ideas For Writers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29925990) by [TalosLives](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TalosLives/pseuds/TalosLives). 



> Hey there, welcome to the story! This was originally a idea from TalosLives, who recently put out a bunch of story ideas for adoption. One of them, titled "Wings", was the one which interested me the most. They gave the approval to write it as my own so here we are! This also technically makes this my first story within the fandom as well! Anyways, I have this whole thing planned and it probably won't be much longer than fifteen to twenty chapters. So without further ado, let's get on with the story!

Ever since the beginning of time, good and evil was a concept that was ingrained in the minds of humans from the day they were born. And for those who believed in an existence after death, good and evil had team players propping these ideals up, which were Heaven and Hell themselves. If this were true, then the forces from both sides were in a state of perpetual war, fighting to reign supreme and establish their dominance over the other for their own means, gains, and wishes.

However, that belief was only half right. The animosity that the denizens of Heaven and Hell had for each other persisted despite the amount of time which had passed since those initial fights. But as for an actual war that had their armies dueling to the bitter end? Such a thing had not occurred for several centuries.

Rather, an agreement between the two realms had them declare a shaky truce to their hostilities. As long as either side did not do anything to interfere in the business or interests of the other side, they would keep to themselves and not attack the other side, lest they restart the hostilities.

While the hardliners on both sides wanted total annihilation to put the other out to pasture for good, they were overruled by their respective leaders, as the cost to keep it going would have been too great to justify. It was hardly perfect but much like any temporary solution, it was one which seemed to persist past the point of its existence.

In the meantime, the human population went through a population boom. This meant that for every person brought into the world, the amount of sinners that would end up in Hell once they had met their untimely end increased as well. Seeing this concerned those up in Heaven about the possible impact overpopulation could have on the spirit world and if it would spill over onto the land of the living.

Negotiation was soon held with Lucifer to explain why this situation would be bad for the both of them. After a bit of bartering and compromises from both sides, they came to an agreement to deal with the issue.

Even though the Prince of Darkness had many issues with Heaven and those who ran it, he also held little to no concern about the wellbeing of his subjects. It was his expected duty to punish them for their sins after all.

The offer he received would allow him to accomplish this duty while leaving the entirety of the grunt work to Heaven, which in eyes counted as killing two birds with one stone.

In the end, the solution they came up with would be the creation of Extermination Day. On a yearly basis, angels dubbed Exterminators would descend from Heaven and lay waste to the population. Peasant, commoner, noble, it didn’t matter. If anyone was caught in their sights, death by their blades was certain.

Once the expected quota of demons killed was reached, the Exterminators would leave, death and destruction being left in their wake. Afterwards, life would continue for the residents of Hell as things would get back to normal. The deceased would be disposed of or cannibalized, any leftover weapons were snatched up to be sold or for personal use, and the cycle would repeat.

In hindsight, the yearly Exterminations did more harm than good for both realms.

The main goal Heaven hoped to achieve every year was that during the slaughter of the demons below, the evilest and most depraved sinners and Hellborn would get caught in the crossfire. They would achieve their goal of staving off overpopulation for a bit longer while ensuring that these malicious individuals were dealt with before they do serious harm, whether on Earth or up in Heaven.

Despite this intention, said malicious individuals figured out pretty quickly that the Exterminators would be gunning for them on that day. To counteract the attempts on their lives, they would go underground and hide until the all clear was given, with the Angels none the wiser. As long as they reached their quota, they declared each instance of Extermination Day a mission complete.

Ultimately, the only ones who truly died on that day were the unlucky, homeless, destitute, stupid, or suicidal. The ones who could’ve been considered the victims of their circumstances rather than the sources of Hell’s great evils. Meanwhile, those who should have met their ends at the end of an Angel’s blade were instead free to plan and scheme once it was safe once again.

And the plans they made proved to be harmful to both Heaven and Hell.

But for the longest time, this was just how things were. Nobody had a choice but to accept it as such. Any attempts to actually do so or at least offer an alternative fizzled out almost immediately, as many demons resisted the concept of change purely on principle alone.

Then one day, Hell’s own Princess, Charlotte Magne, showed up on 666 News with a proposition. A rehabilitation hotel specifically designed to help sinners overcome their temptations and short sighted desires and instead abstaining from the habits that got them there. Little by little, these demons and fallen souls would inch further and further away from an endless cycle of violence, sex, drugs, and general debauchery. Eventually, they would redeem themselves and ascend to Heaven.

Of course, from the moment the Princess opened her mouth, nobody took the idea seriously. Between her clear unpreparedness, a lack of explanation on how demons would redeem themselves, and impromptu song and dance number, the idea of the Hotel was cemented as a joke.

To make matters worse, Katie Killjoy happily revealed that Charlie’s very first and so-called “behaved, clean, and out of trouble for two weeks” patient, Angel Dust, was busy having the time of his life partaking in one of Hell’s many turf wars. With a live feed showing Hell’s well known pornstar gunning down Sir Pentious’ Egg Bois alongside the “spunky powerhouse” Cherri Bomb, it pretty much discredited her plan as an outright failure before it even had a chance to take off.

Charlie didn’t take this insult sitting down and began a fight in the studio but ultimately left it disheartened and disappointed by how the demons there received it.

The rest of Hell certainly saw it as a dumb idea and weren’t shy about it. To them, the concept behind the Hotel was dead in the water and within the month, it would be forgotten.

That was until Alastor, the infamous Radio Demon, showed up to their doorstep offering his help and support. While he was only interested in the entertainment seeing demons try and fail to redeem themselves could bring, he helped give the Hotel what it needed for long term sustainment. The Hotel additionally got some independent backers and supportive individuals that sought to turn the Princess’ dream into a reality.

While the concept behind the Hotel remained as a joke among the general populace, the staff were hard at work looking for a candidate who would genuinely be interested in redeeming themselves and atoning for their wrongdoings while alive, rather than faking interest for an all expenses paid room.

They eventually found one. A former soldier of fortune/merc named Angelo, who charitably went through Hell on Earth prior to his embrace with death and eternal damnation. On a job where he was merely supposed to keep surveillance on a newly wed couple for some shadowy organization, things got out of hand when the wife discovered him bugging their home. In an act of short sightedness, Angelo was forced to silence her and staged her murder as a suicide.

Since that wasn’t the assignment granted to him, those behind the organization had him silenced. He was shot, burned, then thrown into a sewer not too far away from where he committed the murder. Angelo managed to survive this attempt on his life and attempted to find his way out from where he was. Despite his efforts, a combination of his injuries and the growing mental instability from his lack of success resulted in him going crazy, ending up with him wandering the sewers begging for forgiveness for what he did.

At least until the husband of the woman he killed overheard him, found him, and paid him back for what he did by sticking his head in the sewer water and drowning him.

As someone deeply regretful of what he did, Angelo saw the Happy Hotel as his last resort to gain redemption and obtain forgiveness for what he did. And unlike their first patient, he took to the advice and instructions of becoming a better person and abstaining from the easy of Hell pretty religiously. All the while, he and those at the Hotel hoped it worked.

Then one day, Angelo achieved the redemption he desired so much and was lifted off to Heaven. Everyone in Hell were stunned that such a thing was even possible. Even in Heaven, there were those who were concerned about the intentions of the Hotel.

God’s own Archangels decided to head down and check it out for themselves. While they were initially suspicious due to Alastor’s involvement, once they saw Charlie’s passion and desire to help her people be redeemed, they left convinced. After sharing their findings with God, they notified those at the Hotel that they had his approval. And so, they got to work redeeming more people who desired it.

But along with this success came with problems and unwanted attention. Namely, from the Overlords and members of Hell’s nobility. The former saw the Hotel’s efforts as something that ate into their bottom lines. The latter group saw the Hotel’s success and continued existence as evidence that Lucifer was becoming more and more unfit to rule and that Hell was becoming even more subservient to Heaven than they already were.

As those at the Hotel attempted to redeem more sinners, they also had to deal with hit-pieces from 666 News, bribery, slander, and outright attempts on their lives from Overlords, and certain members of Hell’s nobility sending highly-trained hit squads to remove what they considered to be a blemish on their realm’s landscape. Even among all this, the staff pressed on and were able to continue redeeming sinners, no matter how hard or how long it took. Later on, the more moderate and progressive members of Hell’s nobility eventually voiced their support and endorsed it, Prince Stolas being one of them.

Meanwhile, the success of the Happy Hotel had the effect of making Heaven’s leadership question their own methods. The whole purpose of Extermination Day was to remove those they deemed to be a threat to both of the realms. However, from what they were able to witness from the skies, those individuals were able to escape their wrath time and time again and be free to spread their brand of violence and death against those they had it out for.

And then Charlie, with her idea of rehabilitation through the Hotel, managed to come up with an alternative to the violence that defined her region when nobody else would. Her effort to succeed and continue succeeding for years made those in Heaven realize something about themselves.

Namely, that in their haste to ensure no harm came to them, they probably just made things more complicated for them

Because of Extermination Day, many in Hell hated Heaven for what they have been doing for centuries. These individuals wanted an all out war against them for payback. On a flipside, the outright failure of this day to eradicate those who they deemed dangerous had the aftereffect of a sizable number of individuals in Heaven fearing that retaliation from the demons was inevitable. Some even advocated taking them all out for good to avoid this out.

However, once again, those in leadership positions overruled them once again, since more violence would not accomplish.

Rather, they would take a page out of Princess Magne’s playbook and try to find an alternative to their current situation, one which would allow them to come to a more permanent agreement this time.

And it was all happening in Lucifer’s domain, the Ring of Pride.

***Lucifer’s Tower***

Usually, if Heaven needed to send a message to Lucifer himself, it would end up in the hands of his staff, who would then deliver it to him to receive.

Whether he bothered to check and read whatever they sent to him instead of chucking it into the fireplace the first moment he got was another story altogether.

So it was kind of important when Heaven’s very own Archangels took the time to come down and enter his domain in order to discuss matters that would serve to either benefit or impact both of their realms.

The Seven Archangels consisted of Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel, Saraqael, Raguel, and Remiel. While they all had their moments of entering Hell for various reasons throughout the years, all of them showing up for the sole purpose of seeing their fallen brother Lucifer meant it was some important business they were attending to.

The last time they descended from Heaven for the sole purpose of visiting Lucifer’s lair was when Charlotte Magne was brought into the world.

In that instance, it was an act of goodwill to welcome their niece into the world, even if their father was Fallen.

This time, the matter was a serious one and they made it clear by their demeanor. As of now, Michael was seated across Lucifer while the rest stood behind the former.

Of course, Lucifer, out of spite for his former brothers, was treating the entire meeting like a joke. As of now, while the Archangels were waiting and having their patience tested to limits previously thought impossible, their former brother was obnoxiously munching on some of the apples he had in a bowl on the table.

“Care for some refreshment, brothers?” He asked through his chomping, “You must be famished from your trip!”

The Archangels had varying levels of annoyance present on their faces. Those native to Heaven couldn’t consume anything from Hell, lest it corrupts them to sin. Lucifer, who witnessed many of their kind to do so and end up banished, possibly gave the offer to mock them.

Undeterred, Michael merely narrowed his glare and crossed his fingers as he leaned back with a sigh.

“Lucifer.” Michael said simply as straightened himself out, “We had come down here to discuss some important matters. Not to deal with shenanigans that will waste both our time and your own!”

Of course that even after all this time, Michael had to act all posh and pristine despite currently being amongst the grime and filth that was Hell itself.

Makes him glad he got kicked out, if this was what he would have to deal with for the rest of his existence.

“We know you don’t want us here for longer than necessary and we feel the same way. So why don’t we get on with it?!”

Lucifer glared at the Archangel for a good few seconds before rolling his eyes and tossing the apple he was eating behind him.

“If you’re so insistent, Michael, then I shall oblige.” He replied, straightening up, “What is the business you had all come down to discuss.”

The Archangels all shared glances with each other, as if silently agreeing to continue with what they came for. With a quick clearing of his throat, Michael began to speak.

“As you know, Lucifer. Many of our subjects and many of yours were casualties in the battles that have been fought.”

“ _Some more than others…_ ” He interjected with a matter of fact tone.

“ _Nevertheless_ , after recent events and some recollection on our part, we come to you with a proposition.”

Lucifer raised an eyebrow. As of late, Heaven had been making agreements to end the previous policies they had made with Hell centuries ago, starting with the yearly Extermination Day. He wasn’t sure what was going on up there in their heads when they changed their tunes but he would deny that seeing these high and mighty Angels crawl to him to cement these changes always brought a smile to his face.

“It differs from the previous agreements we had forged centuries ago and may require that we-”

“Get on with it. I’m dozing off here.” Lucifer spoke up, interrupting Michael’s explanation.

With a quick glare, Michael decided to just get to the main point.

“We propose a peace treaty. One that would end the hostilities between Heaven and Hell.” He said, “From then on, unless intervention is necessary, we shall remain out of each other’s business. Any future conflicts will be dealt with through talks instead of violence. And most importantly, open communication will serve to assure that conflict will not arise from any future misunderstandings.”

Lucifer blinked in indignation before laughing in the faces of his former brothers. Once he had exhausted the breath in his lungs, the Prince of Darkness hit them with an expression that questioned if they _truly_ thought bringing that to the table in this meeting of theirs was something that would have them taken seriously. 

“ _Now why would I agree to a thing like that_?”

“Because it means we can finally move past petty disagreements. Unless you’re content with holding on to your bitterness over something that was a direct consequence of your actions.” Uriel said.

“Uriel!” Raphael scolded.

“Just saying.”

Lucifer scoffed and leaned back in his chair.

“Well, a peace treaty sounds good and all…” He started to say, “But these things only work if both sides have something to bring to the table.”

“Like what?”

“Do I have to spell it out?” He asked them, “Think about this idea from the perspective of my subjects.”

“As if you ever cared for them.” Gabriel snarked.

“ _Regardless_ , they won’t take so kindly to Heaven shrugging their shoulders and asking for all those years of having their kind killed by your hands to be forgiven, now would they?”

As much as they hated to admit it, he was right. They could come up with the most heartfelt and genuine statement for mutual peace that they could but it wouldn’t register amongst masses that held feelings of great animosity towards them.

“He has a point.” Remiel spoke, “Goodwill and agreements only go so far. More needs to be done to prove our effort is genuine.”

“Then what do you propose?” Michael asked.

“Why, the perfect method to force two warring factions to get along!” Lucifer grinned, “An arranged marriage!”

The jaws of all the Archangels dropped.

“Y-You’re not serious, are you?”

Lucifer leaned onto the table with a sharp smile.

“Well, was your idea of a simple signing of a sheet of paper and verbal agreement any better?”

Thinking for a second, the Archangels gave the idea some thought. While it was an out there suggestion, it did ensure that this peace of theirs would be taken seriously even from the most adamant of naysayers. 

“It has merit, I’ll give it that.” Saraqael said, “Having one of our own and a subject of yours would ensure to remove any doubt of our peace treaty being a farce.”

“But having a mere commoner be the representative for either side would also send the wrong message as well.” Raguel added.

“Then whoever we pick has to be someone belonging to nobility.” Remiel finished, “Preferably of the younger generation.”

Lucifer began to awkwardly chuckle before pulling on his bowtie when he heard the word “nobility” and “younger generation”.

“Before we continue, I just want to make something clear.”

Lucifer paused as his expression turned serious and his eyes inverted into their demonic coloring.

“ _ **Charlotte is off limits. Understand?**_ ”

“Of course.” Michael replied.

The Archangels never would have thought of having Lucifer’s daughter be the ones to . Aside from the knowledge that Lucifer would have their heads if they even thought of using his baby girl to achieve the peace they wanted, it never even crossed their minds. Those years back when they investigated the Hotel, they saw that Charlie was and still is in a happy relationship with a woman named Vaggie. As she was their niece, they didn’t want to tear that love apart for the sake of ensuring peace between Heaven and hell.

But then that brought the question. Who would represent Hell in this marriage and would they be appropriate or even willing enough to go through with it?

As if reading their minds, Lucifer had a response ready.

“If you’re worried about who’d represent Hell’s side of the marriage, leave that to me.” He smiled, “I have that covered.”

With a snap, he summoned a lottery box in his hands and placed it on the table, much to the confusion of those across from him.

“What is… this?”

“Lottery box. The names of Hell’s younger nobility will go right here and when the time comes, I’ll pull one out! Whoever gets their name pulled will be picked to get married to the individual you pick from your side!”

They all raised their eyebrows in concern at Lucifer’s way of determining his choice. This was to be a very important decision to ensure that their eventual peace would be secured and the method he decided to choose was not only childish but based entirely on chance?!

Sometimes, they wondered if their fallen brother even matured as an individual despite the years that passed.

“Just one question.” Michael said, “Are you certain they would ultimately agree to it?”

“That’s the thing. _They have no_ _choice."_ Lucifer smirked _ _,__ "Down here, _what I say, goes._ "

That didn’t help their confidence in the slightest. It’d be bad enough that the individual he picked was such a bad choice. Having them outright be forced to become the wife of who they choose would make things so much worse, outright threatening the peace that they so desired.

But who were they to overrule what Lucifer did? This was his domain and they were only visitors.

“Now, who you choose to represent your side and how you do it… well, that is up to you.” Lucifer said, leaning back, “As for Hell, there are quite the number of folks I could pick from! It could be one of the Von Eldritch twins, the daughter of Belial, those two sons of Sparda, the Vesper children. Ooh! And there’s also Baal with his-”

“Okay! Okay! We get it.” Raphael interrupted, “There’s no need to list them all.”

“In that case, is our business settled?” He responded, wishing to get this meeting over with, “Are we at an agreement, as they would say?”

Michael stood up from his seat and pushed in his chair, before straightening his tie.

“There is still the matter of discussing this with Father.” He told Lucifer, “Once we receive his response, we shall notify you.”

With no more left to discuss, the Archangels turned to leave the premises, with Lucifer following behind to see them off. Not that he cared really, just so he could have confirmation. Once they were outside, they gave him cordial farewells before spreading their wings and taking to the air.

Lucifer watched with a hateful glare as the Archangels returned to Heaven, flying up to the bright white dot in Hell’s sky. With a scoff, he turned and re-entered his home, wondering if this arranged marriage proposal for peace would even fly by Him.

Within the next few days, Lucifer got his answer. After consulting with the Archangels and what they discussed during their meeting, God had given his full approval for both the peace treaty and for the wedding to take place.

Now, all both sides needed now was their representative.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah! That was the introductory chapter! I hope you all liked what is present here! Next time, we'll be seeing Octavia and how her life is like at the moment before everything suddenly changes with her thanks to the responsibility that will soon be thrust onto her hands.
> 
> Also for those who wonder how Archangel Michael looks like, my headcanon his appearance based off of this fanart by Ady Laine Art: https://mobile.twitter.com/adylaineart/status/1215625734187704320
> 
> As for the rest of the Archangels, if I can find the time to make illustration for the chapter, I'll update with this chapter with how they look.
> 
> Anyways, that's all for now. Hope you all enjoyed this prologue chapter and I'll see you later.


	2. The Letter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone. Welcome back to the story! Apologies if it might seem a little late. I initially wanted to post it on Friday but I got bogged down by work, mostly college stuff. However, I managed to finish this up today and I plan to start working on the next one as soon as possible! Also, before we start or for those who want to know, Octavia is 22 years of age in this story. 
> 
> I hope what is present in this chapter is good and enjoyable! Now, let's get on with it!

_B-E-E-P! B-E-E-P!_

“Ugh… already…?”

_B-E-E-P! B-E-E-P!_

“Fucking… enough..”

The alarm clock kept emitting its incessant and irritating noises, as if insisting the occupant of the room to wake up, get up, and get along with their day, lest they waste it by refusing and choosing to stay under the covers instead. That was at least until the room’s occupant slammed her fist on top of the device, silencing its racket and leaving the owl all alone to the silence of the room.

With a yawn, Octavia opened her bleary eyes to find rays of sunshine breaking through the windows of her palace bedroom, signifying a brand new morning. Sighing, she stretched her arms out and rubbed her eyes before grabbing her phone from the nightstand.

Clicking it on, she spent the next few minutes scrolling through the notifications that were on her home screen. There wasn’t really anything that caught her eye, just some posts from some people she followed on Voxtagram and some news articles about stuff she didn’t care about.

“Nothing interesting… just like yesterday.” The owl muttered to herself.

She looked back at her nightstand to grab her headphones. After putting them in her ears, she booted up her music player and scrolled through her list of songs before picking the one she wanted. Another yawn escaped her beak as she went to her closet to pick out her clothes for the day.

Octavia chose the typical outfit she was well known for being seen in. Even after all these years, her fashion style hadn’t changed a bit and if she’d guess, Octavia would be rocking her dark beanie, dark feathery shawl, and bright pink star studded apparel for the next millennia before she got tired of it.

As she got them on, her eyes gazed upon a photo of her and her father hung up on the wall adjacent to her closet. It wasn’t one taken from her childhood but from the year prior. The two had gone to a nice fancy restaurant to celebrate her graduation from one of Hell’s prestigious universities.

Octavia felt a small smile come to her face as she thought back to that day. Mainly of the memory of her father congratulating her for achieving such a high honor that even the smartest of students in Hell couldn’t reach, before taking her out to celebrate it by having some of the best food that could be found and eaten in all of Hell.

In contrast, the only acknowledgement Octavia received from her mother was a small text sent the day after congratulating her for this achievement but not much else.

Octavia wasn't really bothered by this, however. After all, Stella wasn't living with them anymore.

In fact, Octavia’s mother had been divorced from Stolas for over two years at that point.

The smile dropped from her face as she gave that memory some more thought.

Shit, has it been _that_ long? Had her parents been officially separated for about five years now? It seemed like only yesterday that the two were trapped in their loveless marriage and taking their grievances about it out on each other.

Now that it was on her mind, Octavia couldn’t help but think back to how different her life used to be and how much it had changed over the years.

To start, Via used to associate bright mornings such as this one with the misfortune of waking up to the sound of her parents fighting from another part of the palace. From that point, it was trying her best to block out the sounds with some music, dodging and maneuvering past whatever her mother broke that day, and having to deal with the fact her home life was crumbling around her.

Whatever she did after having her breakfast for the day varied depending on her mood or motivation. Either heading to Stylish Occult to pick up some new clothes, books, or taxidermy, visiting one of her many hangout spots, or going out with her father to do something “fun” in order to get away from the chaos at home for at least a little while.

It wasn’t the most ideal life one could have, especially for a princess such as herself.

Unfortunately, as a young adult who had little to no say in family matters, there wasn’t much she could do except to keep her head down and wait for the storm to pass.

Then, once the day was done and she was back home, Octavia either witnessed a rare moment of calm in their typically chaotic household or a restart of the argument that started the day off.

Afterwards, it was off to bed. Rise and repeat the following day for seemingly all of eternity.

To Octavia, this repeating cycle appeared destined as the only life she would know. One that would persist for the rest of time until the literal end of the universe or if she had the misfortune of becoming a casualty in the yearly Exterminations.

Well, except that in the past few years, Octavia’s life has changed a lot since that fateful day at Loo Loo Land. Firstly, the realization of her parent’s marriage being not what she had believed it to be at least helped give her some clarity on the situation at home.

Mainly that the fights weren’t the result of a previously rock solid marriage suddenly going sour but of a forced arrangement between two people who never felt any intimacy lashing out at each other as a result of it reaching its boiling point..

Plus, coming back with the reassured knowledge that despite everything that’s happened to tear apart the family, her father would still love and be there for her no matter what. Even when at her lowest point where Octavia feared her father would disappear from her life to be with Blitzo, she was reassured that no such thing would occur.

Did that mean he stopped seeing Blitzo? Of course not. Considering how graphic and perverted he’d get with his many phone calls and messages that he sent to the imp, that interest in him was certainly still there. Plus, there was that whole “arrangement” thing Blitzo had agreed to under severe duress, which meant that he’d be visiting the palace once a month to fulfill the side of the deal he agreed to.

However, she noticed that her father’s feelings and attraction for Blitzo were never really reciprocated. During the trip to Loo Loo Land, she could tell despite her moodiness that her father’s flirting and compliments weren’t appreciated or acknowledged in the slightest.

While Via just took it as the imp wanting to be focused on the job they were paying him for, there was more to it underneath the surface.

Hell, the fact that he only seemed to agree to do a job with the promise of any monetary payment should have said enough. And yet, Octavia's father didn't get it into his feathery head that the imp didn't like him back, at least in that way. After all, every compliment he gave to the imp was about his body or how good he was in bed, not about how he was as an individual.

So one day, Blitzo set it straight to Stolas. If they were going to keep up their “agreement” to keep allowing him to use the Grimoire, fine. If he had to do his mandatory “trading favors for favors” shit, fine . But if they were going to continue having this “relationship” of theirs, Blitzo simply wanted two things to be made clear.

One, they would be on equal terms and have any future agreements be met on these equal terms instead of having the larger, more powerful demon take advantage of the imp.

And two, that the owl demon start treating him like an individual with thoughts and feelings instead of some escort he could call up whenever he was bored.

Well, that was the more elegant way of putting it. The actual words Blitzo used to describe his arranged situation with Stolas was "calling me up like i’m some goddamn day hooker you can fuck at your own leisure until you get bored, before throwing me out like a fucking cum sock you just used up until you’re ready to go for round two, you fucking sick deviant!"

Much to Blitzo and everyone else’s surprise, Stolas seemed to have a realization hit him when all this was brought to his attention and deeply regretted having done this without realizing how _wrong_ it was. After tearfully apologizing to the imp for having treated him this way for so long, he promised to uphold the demands he was given.

So that meant no more pestering for services, no more long-winded, perverted calls and messages to his office or personal phone, no forced arrangement, and no more treating him like his personal sex toy. And surprisingly, Stolas upheld his promise to the imp, which in turn led to their relationship gradually progressing from Blitzo being a glorified call guy for the Goetia to something

As for her? Well, Blitzo steadily began to have more and more of a presence in her life, allowing to see the type of person he was like instead of just a name that Via used to place all the blame on for ruining her home life. Which meant he interacted more with her, giving her a greater idea on who he was.

And through these exchanges, she learned that Blitzo had his moments where he wasn’t acting like a complete selfish jackass that was only concerned for himself.

She mainly saw this happen with his adopted daughter, a hellhound named Loona. With how much he doted on her, she might as well have been his own flesh and blood.

Octavia met the hellhound herself after being dragged out to an outing by her father to meet Blitzo at some fancy department store located in the Ring of Pride. While their fathers went off on their own, the two young women took the time to chat and learn some stuff about each other.

It turned out that these two shared a lot in common, like frequenting Stylish Occult, having interest in hard and heavy music, and having grievances about their fathers’ many “quirks”. By the end of the outing, they considered the other as their fellow sister and began to hang out more and more as the years went by.

In the meantime, the relationship between Blitzo and Stolas progressed to the point where they saw each other not as two people having an occasional fling but a couple deeply loved each other, to the point that they wanted to take it a step further.

However, concern lay with Stolas on how his daughter would take this development. After explaining the situation to Octavia and about how much Blitzo meant to him, he acknowledged that if she would want him to remain married to her mother, Stolas would honor that wish.

As much as a part of her would have wanted them to stay together, doing so would only continue to contribute to the toxicity of her home life and keep the two further trapped in their unloved marriage. Plus, Blitzo made him happy in a way Stella did, not like she ever tried. So, she gave her father the go ahead.

Her only stipulation was that the imp didn’t go and break his heart, or else he’d be fried into a crisp with the fires she’d light under his tail.

With this confirmation and with him no longer being no longer deterred or concerned for the opinions of those among his status, Stolas went through divorcing Stella to marry Blitzo instead. To say that she didn’t take it well was an understatement.

But no matter how much she screamed and swore at her soon to be ex-husband, Stolas was steadfast and firm in his decision and did not have a care in the world for what she had to say about it. For the first time in quite a while, he was steadfast and Stella knew it. With no other choice in the matter, Stella went through the necessary steps to separate from Stolas before packing up her things and leaving the following month. The one after that had Blitzo and Stolas tie the knot at a big grand ceremony.

When the divorce was finalized and her parents were officially single again, Via noticed that she wasn’t as sad as she should’ve been. Unlike Stolas, Stella never was close to Octavia even in the early years of her life. The only moments of “mother-daughter” time were used to instill the qualities she insisted that every growing princess have, something Octavia did not look back on with fondness. Even in the happiest memories she had of her childhood, such as her first trip to Loo Loo Land, her mother was either apathetic or absent, as if holding tea parties and meeting with fellow stuck up members of Hell’s nobility were a better use of her time.

And regardless of how much in the right or wrong Stella was in because of Stolas’ actions, she still contributed to the toxicity that plagued Octavia’s home life without even being concerned about her wellbeing. Her father, for all his faults, at least did what he could to make her happy and ensured she would still be his little owlette no matter what.

In contrast, Octavia noticed that Stella never tried to reach out to explain herself or help her understand why things were the way they were at their home.

So it wasn’t a surprise that when the separation was made official, Octavia didn’t feel anything, only accepting that development as it was and moving on with her life. At least she didn’t have to wake up to the sound of yelling anymore.

Octavia and her mother still kept in contact somewhat but it was minimal. A few texts here, some occasional visits to her new place of residence but not much else.

Yeah, she never would have thought that the red dickhead who intruded into their family life and set the events in motion that would lead her father to divorce her mom and finally end up with a life satisfied with. Sure, she still had her reservations about Blitzo and felt that he was using as a ticket to like even more of an asshat than before. But at the very least, her father was with someone who truly loved him, which was good enough for Octavia.

So, she wouldn’t deny that she was content with how life has been treating her recently.

Either way, enough of the reminiscing. She had a day to start after all and she wasn’t going to waste it by standing in her room.

Plus, that good night’s rest left the owl princess starving for something to eat, so she left her room in the direction of the kitchen.

With a slight bop of her head to the tune of her music, Octavia entered the spacious room expecting to see her father and Blitzo discussing their plans of the day, the two discussing any important updates in their own lives, or the imp loudly arguing with Moxxie over the phone about something that involved the company.

Today, the kitchen table sat empty. Taking a bit to look at the wall mounted clock.

“11: 07…" She observed, "That explains it.”

By now, Blitzo and Loona were probably already at the office and had already started their shifts alongside their co-workers. Since her dad wasn’t up despite usually being what those on the surface would call “an early bird”, Octavia deduced that what he was up to yesterday must’ve caused him to oversleep.

There was little doubt to _what_ business he was up to in the late hours. Thank Satan she didn’t hear a lick of it.

After grabbing some Greed Seed and a drink from the nearby cabinet, Octavia sat that down at the kitchen table and began to chow down on her food. A loud yawn could be heard from down the hall as Prince Stolas walked in, looking tired before immediately perking up upon seeing his daughter at the table.

“Ah, good morning, my little starfire! Did you have a good’s night’s sleep?”

“I guess.” Octavia shrugged as she chugged her drink, “What about you? Boyfriend kept you up all night?”

"W-Well, you know Blitzy…" Stolas sheepishly said as he scratched the back of his head.

“Yeah, I sure do.”

She really didn’t need the mental image of what went on between the two in their spare time. Thankfully, her father got the memo pretty quick and changed the subject while looking around at his surroundings as if trying to find something.

“Speaking of which, where is he? I hadn’t seen him around the palace since I woke up.”

“I think he’s at work. Loona says they usually start an hour before”

“Ah, I see.” He nodded as he opened the fridge, “Must be out doing a job with those little imps of his!”

Her father stepped over the Venus Flytrap and fed its daily meal, a slab of meat from the refrigerator, before turning towards Octavia and clapping his hands together.

"Well, that is good news for us! Means we have the whole day to ourselves.”

“Good news for what?”

“Well, to find something to do of course.” He replied, “What about you, my owlette? Do you have any plans you wish to do for today?”

“Huh? Oh, I don’t know, I just woke up.”

She gave it a short thought and shrugged as her hand dug further into her bag of Greed Seed.

“Maybe I’ll go down to Stylish Occult and see if they have another or sale on taxidermy. Or when Loona gets off work, we’ll head down to the Crypt and check it out.”

“The Crypt?”

“You know, that shopping center and restaurant chain place Count Barbarus used to own before he was poisoned by his business partner?”

“Ah, I remember now. That sounds like a wonderful plan, dear! I’ll hope two will have fun down there. When you get back, I’ll prepare some-”

Before the Goetia demon could finish his sentence, the sound of a clearing throat reached the ears of Stolas and Octavia. Standing at the entrance of the kitchen was his longtime personal servant, Head Butler Albus, a tall gray feathered owl who was currently holding an envelope in one of his hands. Upon seeing making eye contact with his Master, he bowed in greeting and respect.

“I apologize for the interruption, sir, but I have come to inform you that you have received an important letter this morning.”

The demeanor of Stolas shifted from the one that Blitzo, Octavia, and the rest of I.M.P knew to the more serious one he usually had on important business meetings with other nobles, business partners, or Lucifer himself whenever the Fallen Angel decided to visit. Whenever he did, the innuendos and graphic language that occasionally defined his speech was nowhere to be seen, replaced with the formality most expected of a Prince such as himself.

“Ah, Albus. No harm done.” Stolas replied, before pointing to a spot in the kitchen, ”Place it on the counter for now. I’ll get to it in due time.”

“Actually sir…” Albus began to say, “This comes from his Majesty himself. His messenger stated that the viewing of its contents is of the most utmost importance...”

Stolas stilled as he processed the information his butler had told him. While getting messages and letters from the King of Hell was nothing new especially for a person of his status, hearing that Lucifer wanted an immediate look at it made him suspicious as to why. There was always a hidden motive behind the words or exchanges they shared over the years and this seemed to be no different.

But if that’s what Lucifer wanted, Stolas had no choice but to oblige. Taking in a breath, he took the letter from the waiting hand of Albus.

“I see. Thank you, Albus. You are dismissed.”

With a bow, the Head Butler turned and exited the room, leaving the two alone once again.

“What happened, Dad?” Octavia asked, taking out a headphone from her ear.

“Oh, nothing dear. Just some business daddy has to attend to.”

“Like what? Did Lucifer send you a letter?” She questioned as she reached for some more Greed Seed.

“It appears so.”

“What does he want?”

“I am not sure. Let’s see what we…”

Suddenly, Stolas recoiled as if he had seen something frightening or terrible. His daughter raised an eyebrow in confusion. It wasn’t like her father to react this way unless it something very, _very_ concerning.

“Dad? What’s wrong?”

With a pale expression on his face, Stolas turned to her and held out the letter for her to take. And said the few words that shocked her to her core.

“It’s for you, dear.”

Octavia’s jaw dropped in disbelief.

“What? No way, there’s no fucking way that-”

Taking the letter in her hands, Octavia's eyes widened when she saw the Apple Seal keeping the envelope closed and her name present in the area that showed who the mail was for.

Holy shit, he was right! It was for her!

Now, her actual experience with the King of Hell was quite limited. Aside from seeing him in passing whenever he showed up to meet with her dad at the palace or the few times she shared words with him or his daughter at a party held by nobility, Octavia never really knew him personally. That was usually the case for anyone belonging to Hell’s nobility. Lucifer would be sure to maintain a good amount of friendships with the patriarchs or matriarchs of the various royal families but wouldn’t give a single fuck about their offspring unless their business was relevant to him.

But now, here she was, having received a letter from Hell’s top dog for some god forsaken reason. What would he want her specifically? It’s not like she or her family had anything that he already did and more. Something else was at play here and she didn’t like the steadily rising feeling of anxiousness making itself known in her heart.

“Via?” Her father spoke.

“H-Huh? Yeah, Dad?”

“You were staring off into space, dear.”

“I was?” She asked, “Sorry, I’m just… surprised, I guess. Never thought Lucifer himself would be sending something to me.”

Stolas chuckled at that.

“As did I. Although, it makes me wonder what importance it holds if his messenger was insistent it be read as soon as possible?” He thought.

“I hope it’s not an invitation to another party held by Fredrick Von Eldritch. Can’t stand those two cunts he calls his children.” She muttered to herself.

“Language!” He scolded.

Octavia merely rolled her eyes before taking in a deep breath as she gripped the seal keeping the message inside confined.

“Well, here goes nothing, I guess.”

Octavia tore the Seal from the envelope and took out the letter, clearing her throat as she started to read.

_Greetings_

_You are cordially invited to The Jedidiah Conference Hall for the purpose of discussing important and relevant matters that could potentially impact our realm in a significant manner._

_The information that is to be shared during the meeting is confidential and is expected to remain so until the approval is given to share it publicly._

_The meeting itself will take place at 5:00 P.M in the afternoon of this day._

_You are expected to arrive then at this allotted time, no sooner and no later._

_Attendance is mandatory and you are expected to be punctual with your arrival._

_Refusal or failure to respond to this letter or attend the meeting will result in severe consequences._

_Sincerely, Lucifer Magne._

At the bottom of the letter was an “I agree to these terms” line where the receiver of the letter would sign their name.

Okay, so that explained it. It wasn’t something specific for her, just one of those template letters you could send to multiple individuals by simply replacing the name. If she could guess, the other members of Hell’s nobility that were the next in line much like her received the same.

For what purpose? Since Lucifer couldn’t exactly spell it out and had to keep it vague, it must be surely important. But if it was important, then why share it with the younger members of Hell’s nobility.

You know, the same people whose idea of a good time was getting loaded on all sorts of drugs and alcohol while on a cruise taking place at the River Styx or who were so concerned with how they were perceived by their peers that they would disparage anyone who stuck out just a little bit?

Those were the people Lucifer would be inviting to discuss an important matter? Satan help them.

“Hmm…” Stolas hummed, “Is there more to it?”

“Nope. It ends with a spot for a signature.”

“What?!”

“Yeah, here.”

Octavia handed the letter to her dad, whose four eyes widened as they seemed to read it over and over again.

“ _What are you planning, Lucifer?_ ”

“Huh?” Via spoke, unable to hear what her dad said.

“Nothing Via, just… thinking out loud.”

Stolas handed the letter back to his daughter and placed his hand underneath his chin, as if deep in thought.

“And I suppose there’s no other choice, is there?” He asked, “You’ll have to sign your name there?”

“Doesn’t look like it.”

Stolas’s eyes narrowed and his face seemed to have the look of worry all over it.

“Don’t worry, Dad. I doubt it’s going to be about anything really important.” She explained, “It’s probably there just so people like Helsa, Andrea, and Xio’mar don’t start blabbing about it on Voxtagram.”

“Maybe… or it could be something else?”

Octavia raised an eyebrow, wishing her father to elaborate further. However, all he did was sigh and shrug his shoulders.

“Well, if you put it like that, then I understand where he is coming from.” Stolas said, with a hint of uncertainty in his voice, “But it still seems so sudden.”

“Yeah, talk about short notice…” She grumbled. “And I was looking forward to going out today…”

Octavia then grabbed a nearby pen from the table.

“But, getting it over with is better than worrying about it later.” The owl princess reasoned.

As she was about to write her name, Octavia stopped and gave the whole thing some thought. _Was it really a good idea?_

If she went through with it, she would possibly be agreeing to something she never intended to. After all, the whole reason for the meetup was kept vague, so anything could go. And this being Lucifer Magne, it wouldn’t bode well for anyone. By not complying with the letter’s demands and refusing to show up, she could avoid whatever plans he had in store for everyone who'd attend the meeting.

However, common sense told her that doing so would simply be inviting literal hellfire to rain down on her and those she cared for. As strong as her dad was and as skilled as I.M.P were when it came to killing their targets and those who opposed them, the Fallen Angel was in a league of his one. As much as she wanted to refuse, Via also didn’t want to bring this pain on those around her.

“ _Guess that's what he meant by ‘severe consequences’._ ” She thought.

Octavia mustered the will to write her name on that dotted line as she possibly doomed herself to some maniacal machination that Lucifer had planned up for younger members of Hell’s nobility. After signing her name, the entire letter erupted in flames and burned up, leaving nothing but some embers and ashes on their kitchen floor.

The two were silent after that, unsure on what to say and what to do. Then, Octavia got out of her seat with a shrug and an annoyed expression on her face as she realized that she’d be spending the rest of her day in the company of members of the nobility she didn’t care for and the King of Hell. But what was done was done and the owl princess would have to show up there to hear what Lucifer had to tell them all.

“Well, I guess that’s that.” She mumbled.

“Seems so.” Her father added, “Guess there’s more to do than attend it and see what he has to say.”

“Unfortunately.”

She was not looking forward to it despite agreeing to the terms.

“At least when you come back, I’ll have something ready for you!” He exclaimed, trying to change the subject, “How would you like _Couscous_ for tonight?! Made straight from Earth as well?!"

She couldn’t help but smile at that.

“Sure, Dad. Do you mind if we can get some _Pilaf_ too? I’ve been craving it for a while.”

“Anything for you, my owlette.” He smiled as he hugged her, “Now go get yourself ready. Princess like you needs to look as presentable as she can be!”

“Alright, alright, I got it…” She replied, exiting from her father’s embrace and leaving the room.

Well, looks she found out what she’d be doing today rather unexpectedly, so Octavia went to freshen up. Couldn’t show up in front of the King of Hell smelling and looking like a hobo after all.

Little did she know what was in store for the attendees at that conference hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and that it helped explain where Octavia is at this current point in her life. 
> 
> As for the next chapter, I also hope to have it up soon, which is where things in this story will get real. I'm not sure when it will come up but if things go right, it'll be much more sooner. However, don't quote me on that, there's a chance I can get bogged down by some real life responsibility. If that is the case, than expect it the following week. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!


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